Vallee-ace - Hello There

I'm so happy you love them!!

Here they are!!! Their name is Taz. I just finished the picture today. I’m kinda new to procreate, and I’ve never drawn my baby before. Hope you like them!!

OH MY GOSH LOOK AT THAT BABYYYY!!!! I LOVE THEM! THEY DESERVE HUGS

For that last reblog you did on my newest fic:

I SLEEP ALL DAY! I do not require sleep at night. That is what a koala does. 😤

(love ya)

What about when you have plans all day?.????? Like today?.!? ?? You dumb fluff

THANK YOU VERY MUCH <3 I have a request then. What about Percy playfully tickling Nico? I'm sure the son of Hades would appreciate that ;)

What a wonderful request..!

Oh immortal gods, we really have a shortage of smiling Nico!

Bonk

nothing fills my heart with more violence than the sight of a naked wrapping paper roll

this is how Cain killed Abel

lee!tamaki lee!tamaki lee!tamaki lee!tamaki lee!tamaki lEE!TAMAKI!!!!!!!!!!

If you have time- could you maYbE do Lee!Tamaki and Ler! Mirio from My hero academia? It’s alright if you don’t wanna!!! You’re free to pick!

wahhh i am finally getting back to old requests (￣□￣」) i am so sorry for the long wait and i hope you still get to see this ! these two bring me so much happiness when i see them, they are like sun and moon. so cute ! and amajiki is just so lovable, so he was delightful to dote on (⌒▽⌒)♡

please enjoy tamadachi !

IT'S SAIKI!!!!!! my favorite boi!!!

Day 16: New Discovery

Remember when saiki lost his powers for a sec? He absolutely got tickled for an extended period of time for the first time ever.

has anyone ever been able to explain our like... entirely sfw enjoyment of tickling??? because obv people have kinks for all kinds of stuff. but what about us folks who just kinda... think its fun and neat🫶. what is that about. it feels perhaps. neurodivergence related. ? science explain?

how about jason and percy having a tickle-off? whoever laughs the hardest loses :D

i suppose they're both the lee and the ler so feel free to do whatever you'd like with this!! may the best tickler win

As soon as I saw this request, I knew that it was PERFECT for our with @kanene-yaaay hcs that Annabeth and Piper would definitely argue about which of their bf is more ticklish someday.

There was definitely a dialogue between Jason and Percy when they were offered this "endurance test", in the style of

Jason "I'm afraid that..."

and Percy already with a twinkle of excitement in his eyes "Afraid that you'll lose?~"

And that's it, that all, guys, you signed your own sentence xD

Day 10 - Ticklish Kiss - @/august-anon

i know i normally don’t draw couples but i have these two ocs and they’re so honking cute together that i had to

This is awesome!,!!,! Thanks so much!!! Merry late Christmas to you too.

Advent ( @squealing-santa )

Panda’s Notes: Was wracking my brain on what to write this year, until I saw an ad. >w< Enjoy this chaos. Happy After Christmas to @vallee-ace and all of you who joined Squealing Santa this year. Remember to give all your love to @hypahticklish for hosting and get ready to see what happens in the new year.

There was no such thing as tradition in the bunker. Then again, it was the first holiday season they’d all spent together here.

Thanksgiving—Friendsgiving—Whatever they’d decided to call it. It went off without a hitch. Nothing day-ruining, at least. A sprinkle-and-icing war or two during dessert-crafting makes for good photos.

Black Friday would be easier for everyone if they had two separate angels that can just zap them in and out of stores. Hell, one of them is even capable of not ruining surprises “for the lols”. Asshole.

Speak of the angel, Sam nearly flinched out of his chair when an ornate wooden, um—cone? Christmas tree. It was kind of a Christmas tree shape—was thumped loudly on the table in front of him.

“Happy Crimbas, Samwich.” Gabriel sneered, hands on his hips like he’d solved the energy crisis.

Sam stared at him for a moment, before looking at the tree. “It is November 28th…” He said slowly, his face stuck between amused and baffled. “We haven’t even gotten our tree up yet. We haven’t even talked about getting one for here.”

“Well, don’t talk about it, because we’re going to. It’s gonna be a big one that fills up that little space near the spiral staircase.” Gabriel tapped Sam lightly on the head with the edge of his hand. “But that’s not important right now. This is for you! Take a look already!”

Sam almost became wary when he said that. The tree did look pretty nice. He’d call it expertly carved; every detail painted intimately; the little ornament shapes and any corners sanded perfectly round and smooth. He would say all that, if it wasn’t for the fact that Gabriel could just conjure any item he could picture in his mind. Still, he couldn’t complain.

It’s the thought that counts. Literally, it seems.

“Have you seriously not noticed?” Gabriel griped, reaching to prod him again.

“Noticed…?” Sam murmured, having reached to nudge one of the ornaments. His eyes widened a bit when he found a tiny ‘9’ etched into it, and when he pulled a bit, a small compartment pulled away from the tree. Gabriel quickly bat his hand away, closing the little door before Sam could see what was inside.

“Is this thing an advent calendar?” Sam thumbed a dog ear into his book before setting it aside to try and examine the tree from other angles.

“Oh, wow, maybe you are the smart one.” The angel taunted, moving to lean on his shoulder.

“I’ll admit it; that’s pretty cool.” He fiddled around the tree looking for numbers, even though Gabriel was strictly keeping him from pulling when he found them. “How do you think of this stuff?”

“Unlike some people, I spend my time thinking about how to enjoy life.” He smirked playfully. “Now then, as you were so polite to remind me: it’s not December yet!” Gabriel tapped the side of the tree with one hand, and it blinked out of existence. “Sneak peek’s over, I’m afraid. Hope you’ll be ready when the surprise hits.”

Gabriel was gone before Sam could ask any more, and Sam chuckled softly and crossed his arms. Well, now he wasn’t interested in reading anymore. Point Angel.

--Day 1--

Sam’s brain practically rattled with the sound of jingle bells way too close to his ear. They were shaken gently—how merciful—but it was still too damn early. He flailed his hand toward the source of the noise, and he received a handful of cold metal, the little openings on the bells nibbling his palm. He opened his eyes groggily, and Gabriel was lying beside him with a Santa hat on with the ugliest Christmas themed pajamas.

“Morning, beanstalk.” He hummed, poking Sam’s nose before getting up.

As his eyes adjusted to being awake, Sam found his room absolutely decked out in decoration. Lights were strung around the ceiling and bedframe along with tinsel and ornaments, and small Christmas rugs were tossed around the empty spaces on the floor.

“I take it today is the first?” He grumbled, yawning as he palmed around for his phone.

“It is! Aren’t you hunter-types supposed to be more aware of things like that?”

Sam rolled his eyes, and Gabriel snapped his fingers. A tray appeared suddenly on the bed, only instead of a lovely breakfast in bed, Sam was presented with the familiar wooden tree on a plate. A cracked plate, because apparently this thing was heavier than it looked. Sam took the tree and turned it in his hands, a fond smile on his face as Gabriel crowded against his side to watch.

The number ‘1’ was etched beside a divot in the base, barely visible with the way it was painted. Sam just barely hooked his fingernail in enough to pull a tiny door, and a piece of paper stuck out of the compartment. It was about the size of a fortune cookie slip, with Christmas greens and reds along the borders and fancy writing that simply said:

“Merry?” Sam read out curiously, flipping the paper over. Yep, that’s all there was.

“Merry, indeed.” Gabriel nodded, and the grin on his face was suddenly devious.

In another snap, the tray and tree were gone, and Gabriel’s hands were on his ribs. They'd barely touched down before they were already scribbling fingers across his shirt.

Now, Sam was more than used to being rudely attacked by off-brand tickle monsters, but today, Gabriel wasn’t going full jumpscare. His hands were gentle, nails just barely grazing as his fingers ran wild. It was shocking more than anything, honestly, and Sam forced himself to believe that the shock overwrote the embarrassment that was coming from the childish, bubbling giggles that were shaking his frame. His legs tangled in the blankets as he kicked and squirmed. Gabriel got onto his knees to chase his torso across the bed, but he didn’t try to pin him down or even drag him back.

“And, stop!” The angel said playfully, grabbing Sam by the arm just as he had wiggled himself to the edge of the bed. “You’re going to hurt yourself if you don’t watch where you’re wriggling, Winchester.” He pat Sam’s back lightly before pulling away from him with a grin.

Sam managed to catch his breath in less than half a minute, watching Gabriel sit up and stretch. That was it?

“Oh?” Gabriel sneered as he turned around.

Shit. Something, something, loose lips and all.

“Someone’s greedy all of a sudden.” The angel leaned into the hunter’s face as he sat up warily, but he only tapped him on the nose with one finger before hopping out of the bed. “But, alas, I’m a man of my word. Ta-ta for now, big boy~”

Sam hardly realized he was staring until the door clicked shut.

He already wasn’t sure he was going to make it to Christmas.

--Day 2--

Their little family was clearing the kitchen after breakfast. Cas was washing the dishes while Sam was hogging the last of the coffee.

“Rough night?” Cas asked, just a bit concerned.

“Nope.” Sam said shortly, putting the pot down and stepping quickly away from the machine while slightly hiding his mug in his hands.

Almost on cue, Dean came shambling into the kitchen; he leaned into Cas’s shoulder, not really kissing, just being there for a moment.

“I saved you some food.” Cas chuckled, shivering at Dean huffed against his neck and wrapped his arms around his waist.

“Don’t worry about it… Just need some coffee.” He grumbled, patting Cas’s stomach before pulling away.

Cas chuckled softly and nodded in understanding.

And then he actually understood.

Sam was already not-hiding in one of the libraries when he barely heard Dean cursing his name, and he snickered to himself as he finished his coffee while refreshing himself on his Latin.

“Wow, I think you might deserve this one today.”

Sam looked over his shoulder when he heard Gabriel’s voice, but when he turned around, that Christmas tree was on the table in front of him. He flinched when hands rested on his shoulders, but he smiled and picked up the wooden tree.

The number ‘2’ was on an ornament, and pulling it dragged a little pin out of the tree. Almost immediately, the little paper wrapped around it unraveled, and Sam managed to pry it away and read it.

“War.” He’d almost stammered as he said it. He looked up at Gabriel, a hint of concern in his eyes.

Gabriel just snickered, and the tree and paper vanished in favor of the single coolest weapon Sam had laid eyes on in a while: A plastic pump-action gun nearly the length of his arm with a belt of bright green darts feeding through it and a red water bottle giving it a satisfying weight. There were little LEDs in round cases dotting the case, and—this thing was just decorated like another Christmas tree.

“You like it~” Gabriel teased. It wasn’t a question, and Sam wouldn’t deny it.

“But, why exactly is today labeled—” It was a stupid question, and Sam was lucky he didn’t get to finish it.

“Charlie!” Kevin was laughing, and footsteps rushed loudly past the door. Sam recognized the sound of whistlers, and he took a few steps toward the loud clacking noises of darts hitting the walls.

“Get back here and face your death, you coward!” She shouted back without skipping a beat.

They had already passed when Sam peeked out into the hall, and he found himself looking back and forth as he plucked a handful of the darts off the floor and fit them into the holster that he definitely wasn’t wearing thirty seconds ago.

“Yeah, those aren’t going to fit in your pocket while you’re running, big guy.” Gabriel said playfully, slipping past Sam while dropping a pair of plastic goggles over his head. He fixed his own pair over his eyes, flaunting his hand before another dart gun appeared in it. “By the way, I told Deano where you were. He’s gonna be looking for this too.”

He snapped his fingers, and a bright green and red bandana tied itself tight around his wrist.

“They all are, actually.” He winked, and suddenly, he was gone.

“Game on, nerds!!” The whole bunker echoed with Gabriel’s voice, and the lights went out.

Sam shivered, and he found himself smiling in the blinking lights on the gun.

And then, some-fucking-how the bandana started playing music. Loudly. Of course.

“Sammy!”

Sam sprinted in the other direction.

--Day 6--

Sam’s face was buried in his arms at the dining table, and he flinched as nails dragged gently down his back.

“Is somebody feeling sick today?” Gabriel cooed close to his ear, pecking his temple before patting his back.

Sam glared at him. The past three days’ tags had been “Candy”, “Chocolate”, and “Alcohol”. All in a row.

“You know what you did.”

“I am not apologizing for Christmas.” He teased. He snapped his fingers, and Sam huffed as he heard a thump. He blinked as he turned his head.

“Is this thing getting bigger?” He asked warily.

“If it lasts more than four hours, I’ll be concerned.” Gabriel hummed without missing a beat, and he sneered as Sam glared at him again.

Sam nudged the top of the tree with one hand, trying to tip it a bit. Yeah, it was definitely heavier than he remembered. Gabriel leaned on his shoulder, looking down at him.

“Are you going to stare at it the whole time, or are you just waiting for me to make another joke?” He taunted.

Sam huffed and scanned the tree. It kind of felt different too, actually… The edges of the wood sort of flicked under his fingers as if he were brushing over paper.

He found the number ‘6’ on the green part of the tree, and he found it easier to fit his thumb into an edge that revealed a sort of hatch. A rolled piece of paper popped up, and Sam took it just before the tree disappeared. Gabriel pushed himself away as Sam unfurled the slip.

“Tinsel.” Sam chuckled for a moment.

And then there was a garrote around his neck. It was tinsel, obviously. But there was at least a percent of a second where Sam was going to have a heart attack.

“I’m not even pulling on it!” Gabriel laughed, leaning into his back and fluffing the tinsel against the sides of his neck.

“Y-You can’t just scare—” He’d tried to argue, only to nearly bite his tongue when the plastic frills dusted his ears. “Gabriel!”

Gabriel snickered, pressing a kiss behind Sam’s ear as he laughed and grabbed halfheartedly at his new boa. “Aw, c’mon, Sammy, you can fight harder than that!”

“You’re such a prick—!” His voice was caught up in louder laughter as his feet kicked slightly under the table.

--Day 10--

“Son of a—” Dean snarled, pacing near the stairs while glaring at his phone.

“You alright?” Sam asked casually, rummaging through the box of extension cords before looking over the railing.

“The goddamn hardware store cancelled the Christmas tree we ordered.

“Again?!” Charlie griped from under the stairs. “How many stores is that now?”

“Too damn many…” Dean flicked through his phone and growled again. “Everyone’s starting to run out now. Kevin, have you got anything?”

Kevin looked up from some lights he was untangling. “I’ve been trying to ask my mom since Thanksgiving. Every time I ask, something bugs out.”

Dean gripped the bridge of his nose, sighing. “Forget it for now. I’ll try Garth again once all this stuff is up.”

Sam descended the stairs enough to give his brother a reassuring shoulder punch. “Don’t stress out too much, alright? Garth has a way of coming through in the clutch. And if anything does happen, we can ask one of our resident troublemakers.”

“Your troublemaker, maybe.” Dean scoffed, smiling a bit. “If I mention it to Cas, he suddenly has somewhere to be.”

Sam paused for a moment. But he snickered with his brother about how skittish his angel suddenly was before excusing himself to the bathroom.

He actually ended up in his bedroom, which was still decorated with the stuff Gabriel put up on the first. There was also a suspiciously familiar wooden Christmas tree in the corner that came up to his knee.

“Looking for something, Samsquatch?” Gabriel was lounging on Sam’s bed with a Christmas catalogue.

“I might be.” Sam chuckled. He walked over and nudged the book in Gabriel’s hand. “Come on, lay it on me already.”

The angel grinned, resting the book against his chin with a coy gaze. He snapped his fingers though, and the tree was practically on top of his foot. “Well, if you’re gonna be impatient.”

Sam gave him a suspicious glance before kneeling to examine the tree. He had to admit it was a bit easier to look around the thing now that he could see the numbers properly.

The number ‘10’ was on another ornament, and the piece of paper came away easily when the pin was pulled.

“Angel.” The word was barely out of his mouth when he felt the air shift, and before he could move, six brightly feathered wings wrapped themselves around him and yanked him backwards.

The others didn’t even have the decency to send a search party when he started cackling.

--Day 14--

The hunter family returned to the bunker in kind of a storm. Doors were slammed, everyone was separated, and the whole building was silent. Castiel had said a witch was to blame. Some kind of truth curse. Things were said; secrets revealed. The brothers, especially, were hurt the most.

“Hey, Sam.” Gabriel tested his normal tone, but he knew better than to yell.

“Leave me alone, Gabriel. Not in the mood.”

Gabriel hummed, stepping closer to the bed and sinking down beside him. “Listen, um…Today—”

“Look, I know you want to do your present thing before midnight. I’m not up for any dumb games, alright?!”

“I know…” He hesitated to touch him, but he rested  a hand on his shoulder. “That’s why I changed today.”

He snapped his fingers—quietly, somehow—and instead of the tree, Sam only felt a card slipping between his fingers. He growled to himself, but it was already here, so…

“Cuddle…?” Sam glanced over at the angel, and Gabriel shrunk just a bit.

“I, um… It’s up to you, obviously. If you really want to be left alone, I’ll go help with dinner. But, y’know… I’m here. Free hugs and all.”

Sam was quiet for a moment, and he eventually curled up and sighed, reaching to take Gabriel’s hand. “Stay with me?”

Gabriel stayed, squeezing his hand tightly.

Apologies were reluctant and bitter sounding, but the brothers were civil and calm at dinner.

--Day 15--

“Mistletoe…” Sam had woken up to the card taped to his hand. And also a weird headband on his head. A bit of wire dangled a very fake piece of mistletoe right in front of his face.

He’d definitely expected today to be embarrassing with that kind of setup, but now…

He couldn’t tell if he was annoyed or amused.

“I’m still pretty certain that mistletoe is supposed to be red.” Dean commented with half a grin as he flicked the wire on Sam’s head. This was not the first time he’d brought it up today.

“It’s white.” Sam chuckled, not really looking up from his book this time.

“All those dumb little hats we found back in the day always had red sprigs on them.”

“Holly berries are red.” Kevin called as he grabbed something from the cabinet and ran off. “Mistletoe is white.” In place of a kiss, he tapped his forehead on Sam’s shoulder as he passed.

“Honestly, Winchester, you think the Angel of Christmas wouldn’t know the difference?” Gabriel asked playfully, stepping up from behind Sam and pressing a kiss to his temple.

“Wouldn’t be the first time you’ve been full of it.”  

Gabriel gasped, feigning offense, and they proceeded to argue.

Sam just shook his head and smiled to himself.

--Day 19--

“Any word from Garth about the Christmas tree?” Charlie asked softly, watching Dean pace again.

Dean sighed, shaking his head. “Nothing. He said something about being busy in town lately, and I’ve barely heard from him at all besides check-ins.”

Sam sat nearby, keeping his mouth shut.

Earlier, in his room, he’d been met with a tree that now came just under his chin and distinctly smelled of very alive pine despite still looking like a wooden figurine. Gabriel looked very proud of himself and simply motioned for Sam to take his pick.

19 was up toward the top of the tree. A little door opened, and a folded index card practically jumped out as it was freed from the pressure.  The first thing he got upon opening the folds was a burst of confetti in his face. The second thing was an…ache? Something in his head. Like a button press. Like a…switch. And the paper:

“Really?” Sam huffed, a grin on his face as he glanced at Gabriel leaning on his arm.

“Have fun~”

The paper vanished from his hands, and left behind an itch in his fingers. Gabriel, a coward, made himself scarce at the same time.

Back to the living room, around an hour afterward, and Sam was watching Dean and Charlie’s conversation over the edge of his tablet from across the room.

There’s a trick to catching prey, after all. And, also, for waiting out stupid prank curses.

Both come down to opportunity. Or lack thereof.

He had gotten here first in an effort—a hope, maybe—to keep everyone else away from him.

…Buuut, he also could have gone to one of the libraries. No one usually went there.

Dammit Gabriel.

In the middle of this thought, something spiked. Sam tapped his foot, trying to focus on keeping the energy down.

“Sam?” He flinched when he heard Castiel’s voice, and the angel eyed him curiously, having appeared right next to the chair. “Are you alright? You seem…different?”

Sam had looked up at him, and Cas squinted at him as he took half a step back.

“Cas, would you be able to drop in on Garth for us?” Charlie called excitedly, crossing the room at a jog.

Sam tensed, and Cas took his eyes off him for a second too long.

“Wait—” The angel had begun, only for Sam to spring out of the chair and wrap his arms around him. Before anyone could say anything, Castiel broke into loud laughter while Sam’s fingers scribbled under his coat.

“Sam?!” Dean called, chuckling as he stepped closer.

“Stay back!” Sam insisted, despite grinning himself and making quite an effort to wrestle the angel down. “I’m not—Gabriel did this!”

“H-He’s possessed!” Castiel supplied, voice giving way to cackles when Sam dug into his stomach and followed his squirming.

“Should we be worried?” Charlie snickered, stepping back when Sam took a step toward them.

“Please. Mojo or not, I can take Sammy, easy.” Dean snorted, cracking his knuckles as he decided he simply had to save his angel. Not to mention see if he knew how to drive out this so called “possession”:

A Tickle Monster.

Gabriel would.

--Day 23--

“I hate you so much right now.” Sam snickered. The card he’d found today naturally had only one word. And it was “Sweater”.

Gabriel had stuck him in something that felt less like a sweater and more like he’d been lost in the Christmas decorations for 20 years. The sweater was bright reds, silvers, and greens, and fluffy like tinsel. Lights—yes, a string of lights—crisscrossed between the stitches, and each bulb blinked out of sync with every other. There were ornaments hooked all over him and a star stuck firmly on his chest.

“You look adorable, Sammy!” Gabriel said simply, conjuring his own sweater that was equally ugly, but nowhere near as embarrassing.

Sam stuck his tongue out and pouted, allowing Gabriel to push him out by the shoulders.

He commiserated with Castiel in the living room while everyone else was picking the first movie of the day.

He also didn’t see the fun in purposefully wearing the worst sweater imaginable…

But the puppy sweater did suit him somehow.

--Day 24--

“Only one more sleep ‘til Christmas!” Gabriel laughed, throwing himself into Sam’s arms and hugging him tight. Sam chuckled softly and buried his face into his angel’s neck.

“So, do I actually get a present tomorrow, or was this little project of yours the gift?”

Gabriel scoffed, almost leaning away from him. “You really are greedy, aren’t you?” He teased. “Maybe this might be just what you need~”

A card appeared with a flair of Gabriel’s hand, but he hesitated to hand it over.

“Y’know, I have been wondering.” Sam hummed, playfully grabbing at the card as Gabriel dodged him. “I haven’t seen the actual tree in a while, have I?”

“You might see it.” Gabriel hummed, squeaking when the card was snatched from his fingers. He smiled warily as Sam’s face fell at the sight of the card: “All Out”

“Gabriel…” His voice came like a warning. That could mean a few things, after all.

“Yeah… Remember how we had that cuddle session when you were feeling down?” The angel explained. He snapped his fingers as he did, and Sam found himself unable to control himself. He sat down on the bed, and Gabriel followed him as his arms shifted him backwards up to the pillows. “I swapped the cards around since you needed that break early.”

Sam shivered nervously as Gabriel perched on his lap, and he was allowed to move his head to watch Gabriel summon handfuls of feathers and brushes to sort through.

“Unfortunately for you, that was the only break I planned.” He snickered, leaning close to peck his nose. The air shifted as his wings suddenly filled the space. “Good News, though, you’ definitely be tired when we’re done.”

--Day 25--

True to Gabriel’s promise, Sam slept like the dead that night. Awareness returned to him in the form of gentle jingle bells and the soft blinking of the lights around his room. The jingling came from a cute little Christmas clock on his bedside table, and it disappeared with a jangly noise when Sam reached for it.

He chuckled to himself and moved to sit up when he heard something crinkle.

A paper star, with all the awkward creases and imperfections of actually being folded by hand, had been set on his chest, and the number ’25’ was written on it in bold red sharpie. He handled it gently, afraid to crush it the wrong way; he found a gap that he could pull without risking tears, and it led to the star unfolding into a big square card.

“Christmas”

Sam smiled, forcing himself out of bed. His body still ached a little from their little session the night before, even though Gabriel “went easy” on him after an hour. A blatant lie, considering the phantom tingles he could still feel across his stomach.

The hallway was still quiet; it was around seven in the morning, but Sam could barely hear things clinking in the kitchen as he started to pass it.

“Sam?” That was Gabriel’s voice. “Hey, wait—”

Sam had sped up a little just to tease him, but he found himself pausing as he came to the common area.

Right against the staircase—practically making it inaccessible with the way it poked through the railings—stood a massive Christmas tree. There were dozens of different ornaments, lights of every color, and pieces of candy and chocolate bars wrapped around the branches on long strings.

“Hey, big guy!” Garth said brightly, looking up from where he was sorting the presents by name and stacking them into shapes. He stepped over the little toy train that was lapping the present pile to give Sam a hug. “I’ve missed you guys so much!”

Sam would never get used to the werewolf strength, but he hugged him back as tight as he could. “You told us you were busy!”

“Uh, yeah, he told you guys he was busy.” Gabriel stepped up beside him with a grin, and Benny followed behind him while licking strawberry jam off his fingers.

“Are you serious?” Sam laughed in disbelief. “This whole time, you—”

“It’s shockingly easy to fake some calls and emails to and from hardware stores, Sam. You underestimate me.”

“A tree that fills up the staircase… Y’know, I had a feeling at the beginning, but it looks better than I thought it would.”

“Aw, stop…” Gabriel practically glowed under the praise. “Let’s not keep everyone else in the dark, then. We need everyone up if we’re doing presents before breakfast!”

“You’d better rush them anyway.” Benny huffed with a smirk. “Those tarts don’t need that long to bake.”

Garth and Gabriel disappeared in their own ways, and it wouldn’t be long before the room was filled with noise as everyone was brought in.

Sam sat on the couch and just stared up at the tree for the length of the quiet. He breathed in the scent of the pine, and on the bright yellow star at the top, he could see the number 25 whenever the light blinked.